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Musical change from dissonance to consonance
Regular resolution in F major Play ⓘ Resolution in western tonal music theory is the move of a note or chord from dissonance (an unstable sound) to a consonance (a more final or stable sounding one).
Dissonance, resolution, and suspense can be used to create musical interest. Where a
deceptive cadence
.
Basis A dissonance has its resolution when it moves to a consonance. When a resolution is delayed or is accomplished in surprising ways—when the composer plays with our sense of expectation—a feeling of drama or suspense is created.
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atonal music generally contains a more constant level of
dissonance and lacks a tonal center to which to resolve.
The concept of "resolution", and the degree to which resolution is "expected", is contextual as to culture and historical period. In a classical piece of the
added sixth chord
(made up of the notes C, E, G and A, for example) has a very strong need to resolve, while in a more modern work, that need is less strong - in the context of a pop or jazz piece, such a chord could comfortably end a piece and have no particular need to resolve.
Example An example of a single dissonant note which requires resolution would be, for instance, an F during a C major chord, C–E–G, which creates a dissonance with both E and G and may resolve to either, though more usually to E (the closer pitch). This is an example of a
cadence IV–V, a half cadence, does not have a high degree of resolution. However, if this cadence were changed to (IV–)V–I, an authentic cadence, it would resolve much more strongly by ending on the
tonic I chord.
See also References
![{
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\new PianoStaff <<
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r8 <es a>-.\p <d bes'>-.[ <c' es a>-.] <bes d bes'>-.\ff r
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>>
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bes-.] <f, f'>-. <bes, bes'>-. r \bar "|."
}
\new Voice \relative c, {
\clef bass \key bes \major \time 2/4
\stemDown bes8
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>>
>> }](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/n/d/ndqlm05zdm1icea67pifbnfmxnc8yo3/ndqlm05z.png)